“All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman is one of my favorite books to read aloud. It truly shows that we are all part of a community where our differences make that community special. A school is a place where all are welcome and this book is a colorful and delightful tour of the first day of school filled with diversity, inclusiveness, and celebrations for people of all backgrounds. Students love listening to this book because of the rhyming patterns and beautiful illustrations.
It is a great story that celebrates diversity and inclusion and will make all of your students feel welcome in your classroom. Learning and growing from each other's traditions and welcoming all students with open arms will create a sense of belonging in your students that will make your classroom, lessons, learning, and relationships more meaningful.
Building a Classroom Community
“All Are Welcome” is the perfect book to read to create a classroom community. It has a great message of inclusivity, a classroom is a place where all students have space, are loved, and appreciated.
While reading this book, you have a chance to build your own classroom community by sharing dreams for the year, stories about each other, things they'd like to learn, and more. Opening up conversations through read-aloud books such as “All Are Welcome” is a great way to build a community, get to know your students, and create a welcoming environment for all.
All Are Welcome
In the first days or weeks of school, sharing “All Are Welcome” can be a great way to get to know your students.
- Students can share dreams that they have for the school year.
2. Students can write about their favorite way to start their day.
3. Students can tell a story about themselves that others in the class may not know.
4. Students can share favorite things to do in and out of school.
5. Students can describe things that they'd like to learn more about.
These are all great discussion starters and ways to get to know your students better!
Class Discussions:
“All Are Welcome” lends itself to a lot of great classroom discussions. And while you get to know your students, reading aloud is a great way to connect with each other as a class.
“All Are Welcome” is a perfect starting point for some important discussions with students:
- the importance of diversity and inclusion
- creating a welcoming classroom environment
- building friendships and relationships
- practicing self-love
- taking pride in personal values and culture
“All Are Welcome” is sure to become a favorite for you and your students. It has a great rhythm, is fun to read, and starts some great conversations that lend to feelings of belonging and acceptance. It is such a beautiful story, I hope you and your students love it!
You can grab a guide for using this book in your classroom here:
You can find more of my favorite beginning of the year read-aloud books HERE.
And read more about why I think reading aloud is so important HERE.
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You can find the book “All Are Welcome” HERE.
Happy Reading!
